Sri Lanka says Norwegian envoy must cancel trip to rebel territory for security reasons
Associated Press, Mon April 23, 2007 07:27 EDT . MATTHEW ROSENBERG - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lanka has ordered Norway's ambassador to cancel a routine trip to the rebel-held north for security reasons, an embassy spokesman said Monday, raising fears that a military offensive against the insurgents is imminent. Sri Lanka's foreign secretary, Palitha Kohona, said officials told the Norwegians that the trip was ``inadvisable under the current circumstances.'' He did not elaborate.
The government has already ousted the insurgents from bases in eastern Sri Lanka, and officials say they soon plan to make a push against the Tiger's heartland in the north, where the rebels run a mini-state state complete with border guards, schools and traffic police.
The territory has in recent weeks come under near-daily air strikes and artillery fire from government forces.
Monday's strikes targeted a base of the Sea Tigers, the rebels' naval force, near the town of Mullaitivu in the north, and a moving group of insurgents near Batticaloa in the east, the defense ministry said. Details of the attacks were not immediately available.
The consensus among diplomats, aid workers and analysts is that it's a matter of when not if the government will attack the Tigers in the north. The rebels, who have launched more than 200 suicide bombings in the past quarter-century, have vowed to respond to any such move with their ``full capacity.''
SLA deploys elite forces in Northern Front
[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 April 2007, 18:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army has moved more than two thousand heavily armed Special Forces (SF) towards the Forward Defence Line in Thenmaradchi along the Northern Front, military observers in Thenmaradchi said Sunday, speculating a Sri Lankan offensive at any time from Jaffna's FDLs. Sri Lankan troopers were also engaged in intensive night training missions for the last three days in Jaffna's High Security Zone surrounding the SLA's Palaali garrison, in Thondamanaaru and Valalaai areas.
As SLA troopers were training in the north with targeted mortar and artillery attacks and gunfire for a night mission, more than 2000 Special Forces were deployed in the southern Thenmaradchi region, in villages Kappoothu, Manthuvil and Sarasaalai, were moved to FDL position during the last night.
Meanwhile, SLAF helicopters frequented the FDL areas from Palaly airbase throughout the day.
SLAF airplanes were also observed over Vadamaradchi East.
Associated Press, Mon April 23, 2007 07:27 EDT . MATTHEW ROSENBERG - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lanka has ordered Norway's ambassador to cancel a routine trip to the rebel-held north for security reasons, an embassy spokesman said Monday, raising fears that a military offensive against the insurgents is imminent. Sri Lanka's foreign secretary, Palitha Kohona, said officials told the Norwegians that the trip was ``inadvisable under the current circumstances.'' He did not elaborate.
The government has already ousted the insurgents from bases in eastern Sri Lanka, and officials say they soon plan to make a push against the Tiger's heartland in the north, where the rebels run a mini-state state complete with border guards, schools and traffic police.
The territory has in recent weeks come under near-daily air strikes and artillery fire from government forces.
Monday's strikes targeted a base of the Sea Tigers, the rebels' naval force, near the town of Mullaitivu in the north, and a moving group of insurgents near Batticaloa in the east, the defense ministry said. Details of the attacks were not immediately available.
The consensus among diplomats, aid workers and analysts is that it's a matter of when not if the government will attack the Tigers in the north. The rebels, who have launched more than 200 suicide bombings in the past quarter-century, have vowed to respond to any such move with their ``full capacity.''
SLA deploys elite forces in Northern Front
[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 April 2007, 18:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army has moved more than two thousand heavily armed Special Forces (SF) towards the Forward Defence Line in Thenmaradchi along the Northern Front, military observers in Thenmaradchi said Sunday, speculating a Sri Lankan offensive at any time from Jaffna's FDLs. Sri Lankan troopers were also engaged in intensive night training missions for the last three days in Jaffna's High Security Zone surrounding the SLA's Palaali garrison, in Thondamanaaru and Valalaai areas.
As SLA troopers were training in the north with targeted mortar and artillery attacks and gunfire for a night mission, more than 2000 Special Forces were deployed in the southern Thenmaradchi region, in villages Kappoothu, Manthuvil and Sarasaalai, were moved to FDL position during the last night.
Meanwhile, SLAF helicopters frequented the FDL areas from Palaly airbase throughout the day.
SLAF airplanes were also observed over Vadamaradchi East.
